Yu-Gi-Oh 5Ds: The Judgement of the World

Written By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

Beta By: Lady Lunar Phoenix

A/N: Just to let you know, as of the posting of this edit, Kazuki Takahashi, the creator of this series passed away this week.

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The park was surprisingly large with trees and bushes, small shrines for various kami dotting the land. At the moment there were kids out playing with each other, their parents sat on benches or on blankets. Bright blue skies with only a cloud or two, and the sun was just hanging there in the sky illuminating everything.

It was still an empty space at midnight to Judai.

He had been released from the hospital and hanging out 'in solidarity' for Momoe and Junko felt slimy.

"Yubel is a great deal like my Mah-Magician, a servant of intense loyalty from a past life. Like my Magician Yubel agreed to become what they are, so they could continue to serve and protect their friend and master. Like myself, Judai forgot, yet..." Yugi suddenly grew silent. "That's Judai's story, and he is the one who should share it with you. Just because I know everything doesn't mean it stops being gossip if I report the events in his or anyone elses' place."

Judai had rushed to the door of his room as his spirits mentioned Gods' presence. Had stood there and felt his heart sink into his feet then out through their soles. He sat there trying to remember, trying to remember the moment he met someone with 'that' much loyalty. Tried to remember anything! 'My name is Judai, Yuki...' it started with that thought, only to be followed with, 'now, but what was it back then?' He tried to remember what his past life was, but only could come up with fantasies.

Now in the park he was too far from Aki's power and his spirits were silent. Home would get him pestered by his parents and Sho and the others would find him there easily. It was quiet here though, for now... Quiet enough to drown his thoughts in his guilt, Yubels' wild eyes piercing him to his spot. All the while he begged them to stop...

A streak of bright red caught the corner of his eye, bringing Judai's attention to the distant edge of the park. Yusei's D-Wheel was being parked, why? Judai didn't know. But as he watched, Yusei appeared alone, no duel spirits, no friends, just himself. So Judai stood up and followed Yusei, while at the same time trying to figure out a good way to start a conversation.

Yusei seemed strangely fixated though, he was stopping, looking about the park then going in one direction. Then another, 'is he looking for something?' Judai pondered, after all Yusei wasn't a nature guy unless Aki was with him. Though in the distance he could see the faint outline of a portal and realization dawned on him. 'He's looking for a way to do the Duel Spirit world... without Aki though?'

Perhaps someone else would have been reluctant to approach Yusei given their history... But if anything Judai strolled right past that thought of concern and pursued the Turbo Duel King with a quiet need.

"Hey..."

Yusei stiffened at the sudden intrusion.

While the spirits had been more than happy to tell him where the portal to the Duel Spirit world 'was'. It didn't apparently mean he could just walk through the portal...

So for everyone in the park at that moment, they had seen this rough looking teenager walk through the park. Get off the paved path way that people were intended to walk, go into the grass, remove a spider from its web... Then just stand where the web what even...

For Judai though, it was a different, if only because he understood.

Yusei wanted to get into Duel Spirit world. He just didn't have the power to do so.

Judai, regular street clothes, only a small plastic bracelet around his wrist to indicate he was ever in the hospital. If the eyes were the window to the soul, his soul was currently eyeing rocks with the intention of moving in under them. A humble pebble would suffice. His posture was awkward, shifting from foot to foot, a school kid knowing he's in trouble. While Yusei, stoic and silent as always could have been a displeased parent really, cold and detached.

Yusei stood in a portal to the Duel Spirit world, yet he wasn't passing through, though now Judai could see the portal.. 'I couldn't before...'

The new king physically turned to face Judai, his expression never changing, and if he was still mad about Judai wanting Akis' attention...

Judai opened his mouth again to try and talk, but nothing came out. Checked the mental list of things he wanted to say, made sure they were in order. Tried again and the words choked up, rushing to come out when there was only one throat that could speak. "Did you ever see the recording of the KaibaCorp Grand Prix?"

Yusei blinked, before shaking his head, should he be annoyed or curious? But Judai felt... wrong... always had really to Yusei's mind. So oblivious to the world around him, Yusei had floundered in figuring out how Judai got anywhere in life. While now? The guy kept fidgeting like a little kid, stirring Yusei's usual response to dealing with children than with a guy he could very easily punch.

"It was this tournament that Kaiba held in America. It was really amazing to me, I mean watching duels is always the same. Kaiba Corp uses the same movement animations for the monsters they generate in a duel. But that tournament it was completely different when Yugi dueled." Judai recalled, his tone wistful. "Most people just watch the duelists, but if you look at Dark Magician once he comes onto the field. He was looking 'around', actively staring at the environment."

'Is there a point to this?' Yusei wanted to ask, until he heard that Dark Magician was acting alive. Instead he made a mental note to see about getting a copy of that tournament.

"After that I thought maybe all duel spirits were like that, alive, and aware... When I was a kid I really hated losing duels... And I confided in Yubel that, thinking I was just talking to someone who would sympathize. That if I own the card that should automatically make them my friend and they understand me..."

It was something that Yusei understood. Having lived his life in an orphanage he had seen a large expanse of types among the kids. Children who were kept isolated for too long either shut down or tried to keep 'everyone' who noticed them. Fearing the isolation and it would take time to teach them that they didn't have to be the center of the universe to be loved or valued. He also understood, "but you didn't understand how Duel Spirits developed. So you were talking to let your feelings out, and Yubel took it seriously?"

Judai nodded, his eyes turning red as his coat, "I thought Yugi could fix Yubel. But no one ever said where Yugi 'was'. My parents said he must have died because no one can hide for this long on the earth." Judai began before his lips quirked into a half smile, "Well they said 'gone to heaven' back then when I was a kid. But..." He hung his head in shame.

"You thought they meant it literally and that encouraged why you sent Yubel to space..." Yusei theorized out loud. Judai didn't sound stupid anymore, rather just... clumsy... inexperienced? In fact Judai sounded intelligent. Judais' childhood logic was starting to sound like sound theories for an above average child the more he spoke.

"I don't know what happened to Yubel." Judai continued only for his lips to zip up for a moment. Sealing his throat again before he could try another set of words.

"What was Yubel doing that made you feel it had to go to Yugi to be corrected?" Yusei asked finally. They were far enough from others to have a private conversation, and unless Aki showed up or Judai had enough power to help him get to the other world. Welp.

"I," Judai shrugged in helplessness as he stood there. "When I was a kid, whenever I lost a duel to one of my friends they got hurt. I knew it wasn't me, and I just knew when I looked at Yubel's card that it was them. I didn't know what to do, but I understood that. Soon no one would play with me and I was left alone to watch old duels from the tv. And Yugi was just... I knew these were spirits that I was looking at. Only Yugi never had problems did he? They always behaved perfectly for him..."

Curled up in front of a television, watching Dark Magician looking across the field or out in the audience. The bigger the audience, the more dramatic the action, or Kuriboh's cheerful dances when it came to the field. Dozens of duels from other would be Dark Magician decks, and not a single one could recreate the personality that Yugi's displayed.

"It wasn't Yusuke that could hurt Momoe or Junko, it was Yubel... I wanted Yubel to be another Dark Magician I wanted them to be obedient and loyal..." Tears glistened on Judai's eyes lashes as the pain in his chest felt like his heart wanted to escape. "They've been telling me that Spirits are a product of their partners. And Yubels' been doing these terrible things, which means I'm this terrible person cuz I made them this way. I overheard Yugi's visit, how he said that Yubel 'was' loyal, they were what I wanted and I..." Judai curled on himself some, arms wrapped about his body as he stood there. "Have you ever forgotten something? That's how I feel. Something has to be there and I can't remember it. I keep going through memory after memory and nothing appears missing... But..."

"I don't know what you're asking from me though," Yusei replied. Not the expert on Duel Spirits, it was something more for Aki or the Ancient Fairy rather than him. Dian alone had already noted that some spirits started out as people after all.

"Talk to Yugi for me..." Judai answered, his voice desperate. "I heard him talking to all of you, I know you can reach him! But he won't talk to me, and given he created the Duel Spirit World and my Yubel is destroying it... I just want to know what I can do..."

Yusei arms dropped to his side with a tired sigh even as Judai become desperate in his pleas. "I can't just 'summon' Yugi like he's a spirit." He pointed out firmly. "He literally has stated that what Yusuke and Yubel are doing? Are out of my jurisdiction as a Dragon. You're right, I've spoken to Yugi, but they have decided not to get really involved in any reality unless they absolutely have to because they don't know if its 'their own' reality. Unless a way can be found to bring our particular Yugi back, I'm limited in what I can ask from him." Yusei explained, overriding Judai's attempt to argue and decline into sullen despair.

"That's not to say I don't want to help, I'm willing to do what I can to help regarding what Yusuke and Yubel are doing. But Yubel is a problem you caused on your own, and asking for a quick fix from Yugi isn't going to happen."

"What if you get hurt too?" Judai asked, his posture so devoid of hope, vines could have been pulling him into the earth at that moment. "What if someone else ends up like Junko or Momoe? What if more spirits die?"

"More spirits may very well be dying, Yusuke and Yubel are attacking a village in the Duel Spirit world at the moment." Yusei pointed out, causing Judai's head to snap up with such distress. It made Yusei ponder if he was looking at the same same guy. But at the same time Judai's eyes were tracing something in the air around Yusei in a very deliberate way... "You can see the portal?"

"What good is that if I can't open the gate?" Judai answered as he walked closer, his fingers tracing the hazy mist of the portal hanging in the air. "Not more spirits, I don't know how to talk to Yubel, they knew how I talked as a stupid kid. Now I know they're real, they're a being of their own..."

Judai nodded his eyes going back to the portal with regret. "I wish I could open the portal and help them... But as little help as I could give back then, what could would I do now?"

\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\ Neo Domino National Airport \\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\\

The plane was not how he wanted to return to Neo Domino. But piloting a small yacht from Egypt to Japan wasn't 'legal' since Zero Reverse, and while causing a merry chase with the local maritime police across the whole Continent would have been fun! Well Malik was resigned to his status that resulted in this practical and responsible form of travel.

On his left his daughter sat with her earbuds in, her fingers lightly tapping out the beat to the song she was listening to. Thankfully her eyes were open and she didn't need prompting to stand up when it was their turn to get off the plane. Zalika reached up over head to grab at their carry ons before passing his over with all the brisk speed of a young woman wanting off the plane.

Malik wasn't secretly happy that she inherited his love for boats and sea trips. He was as open as the sky!

"So I get to finally meet that woman you commissioned all those silly pictures from?" she asked in Egyptian, as she slung her backpack over her back and hefted up his bag into her arms.

"Silly to you, because you've always lived above ground," Malik pointed out as he followed her off the plane. "But I find comfort in those 'silly pictures'."

"Yeah yeah, don't forget mom's list of things she wants..." Zalinka replied with this smugly knowing smirk on her face. Easily visible as she looked over her shoulder at her father as they traveled through the narrow confines of the plane into the larger, but still confined, corridor connecting the plane to the airport.

"How can I forget," Malik groaned as his shoulders drooped.

Zalinka was a great deal like her mother, only she displayed that gentle compassion with a sharp Malik style sarcasm. Much like how she appeared, she was in her mothers' image, in all save her hair and the color of her eyes. Those were Maliks, and did she love to flaunt it with long braids and styles.

Her travel style of clothes was loose fitting and dark, despite living in Egypt, from her jeans, to the thick black coat, and the white t-shirt under that. A baseball cap over her head was pulled low and she walked with swagger. Things that always made Malik inwardly facepalm.

Walking down the passing, he could already feel the weighted heat of Japan, different as it was from his Egyptian home. The lighting overhead was a tired, dirty white that didn't blind him as he caught sight of the kiosk and chairs on the other side of the door. Zalinka shot her hand into the air in greeting, having caught sight of someone first. Not that Malik expected, or found, Mokuba or his family waiting for them in the airport. Partly because it was work hours for Mokuba and school hours for Ryu.

But the driver was easily recognized even if he didn't have that silly 'Ishtars, here' sign in his hands.

"Mr. and Ms. Ishtar...?"

"Mom couldn't come... Thanks to 'someone'," Zalinka shot her dad a look. "deciding that he wanted to dump a bucket of ice water on her. She's got a cold."

"It wasn't me!" he replied, "Nakia sends her regards, but not her sneezes," Malik explained.

Malik stared at his closet and could have wept at the lack of variety. So many robes, so many turbans... the splash of color from his trips out of the country were few and far between.

Nakia's voice was a shriek that nearly stopped Malik's heart as he dropped his robe mid fold. He tore through their home towards Zalinka's bedroom where he last saw the pair. Nakia stood near Zalinka's closet, covered from head to toe in water. In the center of the room was Zalinka, with a figure hovering behind her, a woman with long red hair. Robed in white and deep blue underskirt, with a ocean style shell topped staff in her hand. While the woman seemed as aware as Zalinka, both had their eyes open but wasn't focused on anything.

Rushing forward, Malik grabbed Nakia out of worry, and felt, even before he touched her, the hint of icy air.

"Ok, she has the ability to summon..." Nakia barely could speak through her suddenly chattering teeth.

"What happened?" Malik asked as he dove to where Zalinka's towels were kept. Nearly ripping it out of the dresser before tearing out a pair of thick towels.

"She wants me to get a bathing suit..." Nakia answered as she began walking over to Zalinka with water dripping off her. "I think it was trying to form a snowball... I don't know..." She was suddenly covered with a towel draped over the top of her head. Another wrapped around her torso. "This is stuff you know about..."

"Mother? Dad why are you two flirting in my room?" Zalinka asked, confusion turning into unamusement. As the spirit sank into her and disappeared leaving a confused young woman standing in her bedroom.

"You think I did this?" Malik asked flabbergasted, as he rubbed his wife down, fairly glaring over his shoulder at their daughter.

"You need to learn not to flirt in my room!" Zalinka answered smartly.

"You need to learn to control your Ka, young lady!"